Reversible dental matrix band retaining clamp



June 30, 1970 N R a. F. TOFFLEMIRE 3,517,444

REVERSIBLE DENTAL MATRIX BAND RETAINING CLAMP Filed NOV. 28, 1969 TIE 1E3: IL :Eltjl ti.

INVENTOR.

BENJAMIN F TOFF'LEMIRE :51 E51. EL. BY JLM ATTORNEY United States Patent REVERSIBLE DENTAL MATRIX BAND RETAINING CLAMP Benjamin F. Tolfiemire, 41301 Crest Drive, Hemet, Calif. 92343 Filed Nov. 28, 1969, Ser. No. 880,785 Int. Cl. A61c /12 US. Cl. 32--63 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A reversible dental matrix band retaining clamp defining a unitary substantially U-shaped member having a pair of legs which are interconnected by an arch, the legs having a slot therebetween for receiving overlapped end sections of a matrix band, one of the legs having a horizontal tongue on its interior surface that registers with a horizontal groove formed in the interior surface of the other leg. Horizontal beads are provided on the interior surfaces of the legs to form stops against which occlusal edges of the band will abut to prevent the band from entering the arch and becoming pinched when the member is clamped upon the band. Opposite lateral edges of the legs parallel one another. Occlusal-gingival recesses are formed on the mesial and distal aspects of the clamp.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to improvements and changes in the matrix band retaining clamp shown in my US. Pat. No. 3,046,659 so that the improved clamp may be used on the closed-loop dental matrix band with combined keeper and traction block shown in my US. Pat. No. 3,482,314, and the matrix band may be constricted by the traction instrument for closed-loop dental matrix band shown in my US. Pat. No. 3,482,315.

SUMMARY An object of my invention is to provide a reversible dental matrix band retaining clamp defining a substantially U-shaped member having a pair of legs interconnected by an arch, the legs providing a slot therebetween for receiving overlapped end sections of a looped matrix band, one leg having a horizontal tongue on its interior surface that registers with a horizontal groove in the interior surface of the other leg. Beads are provided on the interior surfaces of the legs to form stops against which occlusal edges of the band will abut to prevent the band from entering the arch and becoming pinched when the member is clamped upon the band.

A further object of the invention is to provide recesses that extend occluso-gingivally on both exterior surfaces of the legs, each recess being located to receive and guide a blade on a beak of a dental instrument used for crimping the retaining clamp upon the band, whereby either leg may be arranged on the mesial aspect of the banded tooth and the other leg arranged on the distal aspect thereof, whereby the clamp may be reversed.

Another object of the invention is to form a retaining clamp in which opposite lateral edges of the legs parallel one another so that either lateral side of the clamp may be fitted against a flat surface of a band-actuating arm of the traction instrument.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the specification proceeds, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

DRAWING For a better understanding of the invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, in which:

FIG. 1 is a bucco-lingual sectional view showing my 3,517,444 Patented June 30, 1970 reversible dental matrix band retaining clamp applied to overlapped end sections of a looped matrix band that encircles a patients tooth.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of FIG. 1, as seen from the occlusal plane, and showing a traction instrument for constricting the loop around the tooth.

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along the plane 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the dental matrix band retaining clamp, showing the legs thereof separated.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a strip of metal from which the retaining clamp is formed.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a dental instrument for crimping the retaining clamp on the matrix band, the details of which are more fully disclosed in my US. Pat. No. 3,105,402.

FIG. 7 shows the retaining clamp in end elevation after it has been removed from the matrix band.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing in detail, the reversible dental matrix band retaining clamp is designated generally at A, and it defines a unitary substantially U- shaped member having a pair of juxtapositioned legs 10 which are interconnected by an arch 11, and these legs define a slot 12 therebetween that is open at one end of the legs, whereby the member may be applied over occlusal edges 13 of overlapped end sections 14 of a closedloop dental matrix band indicated generally at B.

The matrix band B is more fully shown and described in my US. Pat. No. 3,482,314, and it has a loop 15 for encircling a patients tooth C in which a prepared cavity .16 has been fashioned. Moreover, a combined keeper and traction block 17 is secured to the outer ends of the matrix band, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

It will be noted from FIG. 2 that the overlapped end sections 14 of the matrix band B may be pulled endwise through the slot 12 by a traction instrument designated generally at D to thus constrict the band loop 15 around the tooth C with the member of the retaining clamp A abutting the loop.

The traction instrument is fully disclosed in my U.S.. Pat. No. 3,482,315. Briefly, the traction instrument D has a transverse bar 18 to which a pair of band-actuating arms 19 are swingably secured by pins 20. Slotted beaks 21 are provided at the forward portions of the arms 19, and are adapted to be applied over the overlapped end sections 14 of the band B from the occlusal edges 13 thereof. When a knurled operating knob 22 is rotated, a threaded spindle 23 is turned and the spindle engages with a sliding wedge 24 that may be advanced to spread the beaks 21 apart, thereby constricting the loop 15, when the knob 22 is turned in one direction. However, the knob 22 may be turned in the opposite direction, thereby retracting the wedge 24 and permitting a leaf spring 25 to swing the arms 19 toward one another.

In its structural features, one of the legs 10 of the retaining clamp A has a horizontal tongue 26 projecting from its interior surface 27 that registers with a horizontal groove 28 formed in the interior surface 29 of the other leg 10, whereby interlocking oifsets 30 will be formed in the overlapped end sections 14 of the band B when the legs are crimped upon the band, thus anchoring the member of the clamp against lengthwise slip page relative to the band ends. The clamp B may be lightly crimped upon the band end sections 14 so as to hold it in place on the matrix band as the arms 19 of the traction instrument D are actuated to spread the beaks 21 apart and thus constrict the loop 15 around the tooth C, and thus a definite horizontal linear groove 31 will be formed along the length of the band ends 14 (see FIG. 1).

Referring to FIG. 6, a dental instrument E has been disclosed, and the details thereof are more fully described in my US. Pat. No. 3,105,402. The beaks 32 and 33 are formed on operating handles 32' and 33, respectively, and these handles are swingably secured together by a journal screw 34'. The beak 33 has been shown as being provided with a wedge-shaped blade 34 that projects toward the beak 32. The use of this instrument E for crimping the retaining clamp A will now be set forth.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 5, an occluso-gingival extending recess 35 is fashioned on the exterior surface of each leg of the clamp A, each recess 35 being located to receive and guide the blade 34 as the beaks 32 and 33 are applied over the clamp from the occlusal edges 13 of the matrix band B, whereby either leg 10 may be arranged on the mesial aspect of the banded tooth C, and the other leg 10 arranged on the distal aspect thereof, whereby the clamp may be reversed. Accordingly, the clamp A may be used on the right and left quadrants of the upper and lower teeth, and applied on the buccal (toward the cheek) or lingual (toward the tongue) aspects of the banded tooth.

It will be observed that the tongue 26 and the groove 28 extend horizontally in bucco-lingual direction relative to the banded tooth C, and the tongue defines a runner along which the overlapped end sections 14 of the band B may be pulled as the loop 15 is being constricted around the tooth. The retaining clamp A permits movement of the band ends 14 within the frictional grip of the clamp as traction is exerted in tightening the loop 15 around the tooth. Moreover, the horizontal tongue 26 maintains the proper relationship of the band B and the clamp A during the banding operation, and the tongue prevents the clamp from slipping away from the band ends 14 during the fitting procedures.

As another important structural feature, horizontal beads 36 are provided on the interior of the legs 10 gingivally of the arch 11, and these beads provides stops against which the occlusal edges 13 of the band B will abut, thereby preventing the band from entering the arch 11 and becoming pinched during the crimping operation, since this would impede subsequent removal of the clamp from the band.

The opposite lateral edges 37 of the legs 10 of the retaining clamp A are parallel with one another, as shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, whereby selected lateral edges of the legs may be fitted against a flat surface 38 of the bandactuating arm 19 of the traction instrument nearest to the clamp A (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Also, this will permit the clamp to be made from a strip of uniform width.

It will be further noted that the beads 36 contact one another and are disposed to fulcrum upon each other to thus separate the legs when the sides of the arch 11 are compressed inwardly, as suggested by the arrows 39 in FIG. 7, thus freeing the clamp for removal from the band. For this purpose, the clamp-releasing pliers F may be used, the pliers being fully disclosed in my US Pat. No. 3,041,729. These pliers are provided with sharp edges 40 on jaws 41 that are designed to enter horizontal notches 42 formed in the sides of the arch 11 occlusally of the beads 36, and spreading the legs 10 of the retaining clamp A, and freeing the latter from the matrix band.

After the prepared cavity 16 in the tooth C has been filled and the filling material packed and condensed, the clamp A is removed in the manner described above, and then the matrix retaining band can be lifted out from around the tooth. While the band remains around the tooth, its occlusal edges 13 extend slightly beyond the occlusal surface of the tooth, as clearly shown in FIG. 1.

The retaining clamp B may be made from aluminum rolled stock with the tongue 26 and the groove 28, as well as the beads 36 formed therein. This rolled stock could then be cut into strips of the desired width and lengths, as shown in FIG. 5. Also, the two horizontal grooves 42 could be formed in the rolled stock. Dies could be used for forming the mesial and distal notches 42 in the retaining clamp.

Immediately after locking the reversible matrix band A On the tightened band B encircling the prepared tooth C, the band ends 14 may be removed by shearing the latter close to the outer edges of the clamp which will also remove the keeper and traction block 17, thereby providing greater visibility and additional working space for the dentist, and appreciably more comfort for the patient.

I claim:

1. In a reversible dental matrix band retaining clamp:

(a) a unitary substantially U-shaped member having a pair of juxtapositioned legs which are interconnected by an arch;

(b) the legs defining a slot therebetween that is open at one end of the legs, whereby the member may be applied over occlusal edges of overlapped end sections of a looped matrix band that encircles a patients tooth, and the member moved gingivally until the legs straddle the end sections of the band;

(c) the slot being dimensioned so that said end sections may be pulled endwise therethrough by a traction instrument to thus constrict the band loop around the tooth with the member abutting the loop;

(d) one of the legs having a horizontal tongue projecting from its interior surface that registers with a horizontal groove formed in the interior surface of the other leg, whereby interlocking offsets will be formed in the overlapped end sections of the band when the legs are crimped upon the band, thus anchoring the member against lengthwise slippage relative to said end sections;

(e) the tongue and groove extending bucco-lingually relative to the banded tooth, and the tongue defining a runner along which said end sections may be pulled as the loop is being constricted around the tooth.

2. The reversible dental matrix band retaining clamp, as set forth in claim 1;

(f) and in which horizontal beads are provided on the interior of the legs gingivally of the arch, these beds providing stops against which the occlusal edges of the band will abut, thereby preventing the band from entering the arch and becoming pinched by the latter during the crimping operation.

3. The reversible dental matrix band retaining clamp, as set forth in claim 1;

(f) and in which an occluso-gingival extending recess is fashioned on the exterior surface of each leg, each recess being located to receive and guide a blade on a beak of a dental instrument used for crimping the retaining clamp upon the band, whereby either leg may be arranged on the mesial aspect of the banded tooth and the other leg arranged on the distal aspect thereof, whereby the clamp may be reversed.

4. The reversible dental matrix band retaining clamp, as set forth in claim 2;

(g) and in which the beads contact with one another and are disposed to fulcrum upon each other to thus separate the legs when the sides of the arch are com pressed inwardly, thus freeing the clamp for removal from the band.

5. The reversible dental matrix band retaining clamp, as set forth in claim 1;

(f) and in which opposite lateral edges of the legs parallel one another and are flat, whereby selected lateral edges of the legs may be fitted against a flat surface of a band-actuating arm of the traction instrument, and the clamp may be made from a strip of uniform width.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,041,729 7/1962 Tofilemire 32-63 3,411,214 11/1968 Lazarus 32-63 

